Pubdate: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 Source: Mountain Press, The (TN) Copyright: The Mountain Press 2008 Contact: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=29620&BRD=1211&PAG=461&dept_id=169702& Website: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1211 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1995 WHO'S SORRY NOW? A simple apology would go a long way to helping matters in wrong-arrest case For the most part law enforcement officers try to do what's right. Sometimes, though, things go wrong. And when law enforcement makes a mistake, lives are affected. A Seymour man knows just how the wrongly accused feel. Due to what appears to have been mistaken identity from an incorrect address, James Russell Kitts was charged last month with trafficking in illegal drugs. That followed an indictment from the Sevier County Grand Jury, based on actions by U.S. marshals and local law enforcement. A grand jury can only deal with the information it is given, and in this case the jurors got information that turned out to be very, very wrong. Kitts works for UPS, and when officers couldn't find him at home they went to his place of business, thus making sure Kitts' employers knew he was about to be arrested for drug charges. False drug charges. He was taken to Sevier County Jail, where bond was set at $150,000. Kitts must have felt himself in the middle of a nightmare. How do you prove to people that he's the wrong man, that he is no drug dealer and never has been? Enter Sevierville attorney Bryan Delius, who cut short a vacation to come back and help Kitts. Delius got the bond reduced to $20,000 so Kitts could get out of jail. Then they set about to prove his innocence. Sheriff Ron Seals, not responsible for the bad arrest, helped. Turns out the bad information had come from the 4th Judicial District's Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Blount County officials called over to say Kitts was not the guy. Kitts finally was cleared of any wrongdoing and got his job back. His reputation will be a little slower in being restored. So you'd think those responsible for this egregious and damaging mistake would come forward to apologize. According to Delius they haven't. Nobody from the drug task force or the district attorney's office has offered any explanation or apology, Delius told The Mountain Press. Kitts was the wrong guy and, faced with the evidence, they just cut him loose. James Russell Kitts is a hard-working Sevier County man who, through no fault of his own, got tagged with a bogus drug arrest. A simple apology from somebody responsible seems the least he should get for what had to have been a horrible and scary several days. Somebody needs to say "We're sorry." At least. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin